Shoe last buffing or polishing machine



Se t. 27, 1932. w. G. cousms I SHOE LAST BUFFING OR POLISHING MACHINE Filed Nov. 14. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l i, Mi

Sept. 27, 1932. w, G, co gm 1,879,108

SHOE LAST BUFFING OR POLISHING MACHINE FiledNov. 14. 1929 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I btemq Patented Sept. 27, 1932 UNITED STATES WALTER. G. cousms, or BROCKTON, MASSACHUSETTS,

SHOE LAST nurrme on POLISHING MACHINE Application filed November 14, 1929. Serial in. 407,302.

This invention relates to scouring and polishing machines designed particularly for finishing the surfaces of wood shoe lasts.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a machine whereby articles,

such for example as shoe lasts, may be reciprocated between polishing rolls so that the entire surface of each of the articles will be acted upon to give the desired finish there- Another object of the invention is to provide a machine for scouring and polishing shoe lasts wherein the polishing elements employed are automatically brought into contact with the entire surface of each last by following the contour thereof.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a polishing machine for finishing the surfaces of unevenly curved bodies wherein an improved type of buffer wheel is employed which follows all of the curves of the body as the same passes therebeneath so that no portion of the body will remain unpolished.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, with the understanding, however, that the invention is not confined to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawings but may be changed or modified so long as such changes or modifications mark y no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

In the .drawings Figure 1 is a view in top plan of the machine embodying the present invention.

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation of the same.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken upon the line 33 of Figure 1.

- Figure 4 is a view partly in section and partly in side elevation of the belt shifting mechanism.

Figure 5 is a detailed view of a polishing roll and associate structure, parts being in section.

Figure 6 is a sectional view of a polishing roll removed from its support.

Figure 7 is a detailed view taken upon the line 7 7 of Figure 1.

As shown this frame consists of a base 2 B0 which may be in theform of an open frame or maybe of solid formation as desired, the upright corner structures 3 and the top frame 4. The machine is preferablyof elongated rectangular design and at each end a. transverse wall :panel 5 is positioned.

Extending longitudinally of the bottom portion of the machine frame is a fixed buffer roll supporting wall 6 and mounted directly above the wall 6 in the guides 7 arranged vertically of the inner faces of the end wall panels 5 is a vertically reciprocable buffer roll carrying wall 8 in the lower edge of which thetwo arches 9 are formed; The top edge of the bottom buffer roll carrying wall 6 isprovided with a pair'of slightly curved recesseslO each of which opposes one of the-arches 9 as shown.

Extending transversely of eachof the end walls 5 are the tracks 11 upon which is slidso ably supported a shoe last carrying frame 12. Thisframe is adapted to reciprocate transversely of the machine between the walls 6 and 8 and the front and rear bars thereof v are provided with the separable blocks 13 which receive the extensions 14 at the toe and heel of the last 15 to support the last in a position extending transversely of the machine and the supporting frame. When the frame 12 is reciprocated transversely of the machine frame the lasts supported between the opposed clamps or blocks 13 will pass back and forth through the arches 9 and will be burnished as will be hereinafter described.

At each end of the rec-iprocable frame 12 there is mounted on the frame a rack bar 16 and extending transversely of the frame 12 is a shaft 17 which is mounted at its ends in suitable bearings int-he end panels-5 of the machine. Adjacent each end the shaft carries a gear 18 which connects with an adjacent rack 16 through an interposed idler gear 18 and at one end exteriorly of the machine frame the shaft carries a pair of pulleys 19 which are keyed or otherwise suitably secured thereto. Mounted between these pulleys 19 to idle on the shaft 17 is an idler 20.

A suitable frame 21 is mounted upon the end of the machine where the pulleys 19 are located and in which the pulleys position for the support of the outer end of the shaft as shown. The shaft outwardly of the pulleys 1.9 is formed to provide, or carries, a worm 22 with which meshes a worm gear 23 mounted in the frame 21. The shaft 24 which supports the gear 23 in the last mentioned frame passes through an eccentric body 25 which oscillates with the gear. The body 25 is secured in the lower end of the belt shifting lever 27 so that as the gear with which it is connected oscillates the lever will also oscillate.

V Mounted to slide upon the top bar of the pulley frame 21 is an elongated saddle structure 30 which carries upon each side a pair of laterally projecting loops 31 which are disposed one above one of the pulleys 19 and the other above'the idler 20. A collar 32 secured to one side of the saddle 30- slidably receives the upper end of the lever 27 in the manner shown.

Extending longitudinally of the top of the machine frame is a power shaft 33 upon the ends of which pulleys 34 and 35 are mounted, the pulley 35 preferably being of a double grooved type to have a pair of belts connected thereto, one thereof being the belt 36 through which power is transmitted from a suitable source-to the shaft 33, the other being the belt 37 through the medium of which power may be transmitted from the shaft 33 tocertain driven elements hereinafter described. The pulley 34 may be of suflicient width toaccommodate the two belts 38 and 39, one of which, as for example the belt 38, is twisted as shown. During the operation of this machine one of these two belts is in engagement with the idler 20 while the other engages one of the pulleys 19 for transmitting power to the shaft 17 in order to eflect movement of the last carrying frame 12.

The reciprocation of the last carrying frame is effected through the medium of the belt shifting lever 27 which is caused to swing in one direction when one of the pulleys 19 is rotated and to reverse its swing after moving the belt shifting yoke carrying saddle 30 to the point where the positions of the belts are changed so that the rotation of the shaft 17 is reversed whereupon the reverse movement of the lever will begin to start moving the belt shifting mechanism in the opposite direction. It will thus be seen that the shaft 17, gear 23 and lever and belt shifting mechanism attached thereto will be continually reversing their movement with the last carrying frame 12.

Mounted upon the wall 8 at each of the arches 9 is a group of last scouring and polishing elements each of which is indicated generally by the numeral 40 and disposed beneath each arch 9 is a second group of scouring and polishing elements each of which is indicated generally by the numeral 41.

It is preferred thatthere be four of the elements 40 at each of the arches 9, two upon each side thereof and two of the elements 41 below each of the arches and mounted upon the wall 6 although, it is of course obvious that more or less may be employed if desired.

Each of the elements 40 and 41 consists of an arm 42, the lower portion of which is of rectangular cross-sectional design as indicated at 43 while the upper end is round and smaller than the lower end as indicated at 44. These arms are disposed in a position parallel with one face of the body upon which they are mounted and the squared portion 43 extends through a guide yoke 45 attached to the supporting body as shown.

The guide yoke 45 maintains the arm 1n place but permits longitudinal movement thereof against the face of the supporting body. The upper or rounded portion 44 of each arm may be passed through a guide eye 46 also carried by the supporting body and surrounding the rounded portion of the arm between the squared part 43 and the eye 46 is a coiled spring 47 which normally tends to force the arm toward the adjacent last, all of the arms substantially converging toward the last. At the lower end each of the arms carries a yoke 48 the ends of which are pivotally attached as at 49 to and intermediate the ends of the side portions of an elongated polishing roll carrying frame 50. As shown the frame 50 is oscillatable between the ends of the yoke 48 and disposed in the frame is a roll or spool 51 which is longitudinally divided so that an abrading body such as asheet of sandpaper or the like may oe wrapped thereabout and may have its ends brought together and inserted between the opposed faces of the two portions of the spool so as to be held thereby when the spool portions are secured together. While any means may be provided for securing the portions of the spool together I prefer to have a threaded hub 52 formed at one end of the spool and divided like the spool and threadably, engaged over this hub a pulley 53 which is formed in one piece so that it acts in the nature of a securing ring about the two portions of the hub.

VJ hen the spool is in position in the frame 50 a supporting shaft 54 may be extended Asll" longitudinally therethrough and engaged at its ends in the end bars of the frame 50 in the manner shown so that the pulley as well as the spool is surrounded by the frame 50.

At one side of the machine there is mounted a pair of pulley drums disposed one above and the other below the plane in which the last carrying frame 12 moves. Each of these drums is provided with a series of pulley grooves 56 in which engages a cord or belt 57 which connects the pulley with one of the pulleys 53 of an adjacent spool. Each of the shafts which supports a pulley drum 55 carries a pulley wheel 58, these pulley wheels being connected by the belt 59 and one thereof having the belt 37 connectedthereto so that power may be transmitted from the power shaft 33 to'the drums 55.

As previously stated the last carrying or upper wall 8 is mounted for vertical movement and in order to effect this movement there is provided a rack 60 carried by the wall at one end and a pinion 61 mounted upon a suitable shaft 62 which is supported by and extends through the adjacent end wall panel 5. A hand wheel 63 may be mounted upon the outer end of the shaft 62 soas to effect rotation thereof and of the pinion when up or down movement of the wall Sis desired, a suitable pawl 64 being provided for engaging the pinion to hold it in set position.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings it will be readily seen that in the use of this machine a pair of lasts is first mounted in the frame 12 in the manner described.

The lower group of buffers or scrubbing rolls 41 will be forced upwardly against the bottom or sole of the adjacent last by their respective control springs 47. The partition 8 may then be adjusted to the proper position for bringing the working surfaces of the spools of the upper group of scourers 4:0.

into contact with the last, the spools automatically adjusting themselves to the curvature of the last by reason of the pivotal mounting of each in the yoke 48.

Upon the application of power to the shaft 33 each of the scouring spools will be rotated at a high speed and at the same time the last carrying frame will be reciprocated through the action of the mechanism described so that the rolls will work upon the lasts from one end to the other thereof all the while rotating and adjusting themselves to the curves of the same. I

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a last polishing machine, a reciprocable last carrying frame, a wall disposed beneath said frame and arranged to have the frame moved transversely thereof, a wall disposed above the frame substantially parallel with the first mentioned wall and adapted to be vertically adjusted relative thereto,

said last wallhaving an arch formed therein to pass a last carried by the frame, and a plurality of rotatably mounted polishing elements carried by the walls above and below the last for contact therewith, each of saidpolishing elements comprising an arm mounted to move toward or. away. from the last and a rotating member carried by the arm and supported for oscillation in a plane transversely of the last, said rotating member being adapted to carry an abrading element. 1

2. In a last polishing machine, a reciprocablelast carrying frame, a wall disposed beneath said frame and arranged to have the frame moved transversely thereof, a wall disposed above the frame substantially parallel with the first mentioned wall and adapted to be vertically adjusted relative thereto, said last wall having an arch formed therein to pass a last carried by the frame, a plurality.

means for actuating each of said rotating members independently one of the other- 3. In a shoe last scouring and polishing machine, a reclprocably mounted last carry ing frame, polishing elements disposed above and below the same for contact with a last carried thereby, a rack carried by the frame, gear means including a supporting shaft coupled with said rack, said shaft carrying a worm upon'one end, a pair of pulleys secured to said shaft, an idler pulley mounted on the shaft between the first mentioned pulleys, said pulleys-being engaged by a pair of driving belts one thereof being twisted to impart a rotary movement reversely to the other, said idler pulley being constantly engaged by one of said bel-tsduring the operation of the machine, a shifter constantly engaging both belts, a worm gear meshing with said worm, and a shifting lever secured at one end to said gear and loosely connected with said shifter. 1

4. In a polishing machine of the character described, a polishing element comprising an arm of polygonal cross-section through a portion of'itslength and reduced and of cylindrical cross-section through the remainder of its length, means for engaging the polygonal section of the arm for shiftably supporting the same, a guide receiving the free end of the cylindrical portion thereof, a spring member surrounding the cylindrical portion and disposed between the guide and the polygonal portion, a yoke'carried at the other end of the polygonal portion, an elongated frame oscillatably mounted intermediate its ends in said yoke, a polishing wheel rotatably mounted in said frame, and a pulleyelement carried by the polishing wheel for facilitating its rotation against a body of work.

5. A last polishing machine, comprising a reciprocable frame, a fixed structure disposed beneath said frame, a yoke carried by said fixed structure, an arm slidably positioned in said yoke and adapted to move in a path at right angles to the path of movement of the frame, resilient means normally resisting the movement of sald arm away from the frame, an abrading member carried by said arm for contact with a body on the frame, a carrier body mounted upon the opposite side of said frame from the fixed body and adapted to move in a path at right angles to the plane of movement of the frame, a yoke carried by said body, an arm mounted in said yoke formovement in a line at right angles to the line of movement of the frame, resilient means normally resisting the movement. of the last mentioned arm away from the frame, an abrading element carried by said last mentioned arm for engagement with a body on the frame, and means for effecting the reciprocation of the frame between the fixed body and the carrier body.

. 6. A shoe last polishing machine, comprising a body structure having a pair of spaced guide members, a frame mounted at opposite sides upon said guide members and designed to support a shoe last, a toothed rack extending along one of the said sides of the frame, a fixed wall disposed vertically beneath said frame at right angles to the supporting guides therefor, a rotatable abrading element mounted on said wall and adapted to move toward and away from the frame, a second wall overlying said first wall upon the opposite side of the frame therefrom, said second Wall being mounted for vertical movement, a rotary abrading mounted upon said second wall over the first mentioned abrading element and adapted to shift on the wall relative to the frame, a gear mechanism connected with said toothed rack, means for applying power to said mechanism for efiecting reciprocation of the frame, means for periodicallyreversing said mechanism, and means for rotating said abrading elements.

V In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

WALTER G. COUSINS.

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